Call to tailor CQC to private sector

By Robin Stride

Private doctors grappling with Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections – and their fallout – could be given fairer treatment in future.

The independent sector hopes that new research into what goes on when inspectors descend on NHS premises will bode well for operators of smaller private practices.

Report author Ruth Robertson, senior fellow at The King’s Fund, said: ‘When CQC identifies a problem in a large hospital there is a team of people who can help the organisation respond, but for a small GP surgery or care home the situation is very different.

‘We recommend that CQC develops its approach in different ways in different parts of the health system with a focus on how it can have the biggest impact on quality.’

The report, Impact of the Care Quality Commission on provider performance, Room for Improvement?, comes as the watchdog is near to concluding the inspection of independent doctors’ services and is preparing to launch the ratings scheme for the sector next April.

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